Stockton, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield scored four times in the third and never looked back, holding on for an 8-5 win in Friday night's series opener against Pacific at Klein Family Field in Stockton, Calif. James Bell and AJ Miller each homered for the Roadrunners, while Benji Caggianelli and Jaykob Acosta combined to allow just six Tiger hits and strikeout nine. Both teams are now 5-8 this season.
"Tonight was a quality team win," said CSUB Head Coach Jeremy Beard. "It was nice to see our offense get going a bit, stick to their approach and take balanced at bats. Benji gave us another great start at the front end of a series and Jaykob competed well, mixed his pitches and closed out a win."
Bakersfield finished the night with nine hits, including three for extra-bases, and six walks, putting the pressure on Pacific pitchers early and often. Miller finished with three singles in four at bats and freshman centerfielder Michael Pollard was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Caggianelli carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning, finishing with just three hits allowed and six punchouts in 4.2 innings pitched. He ran into trouble in the fifth inning when he committed a pair of errors and walked a batter, surrenduring three unearned runs and making way for Acosta in relief.
Acosta was dominant over 4.1 innings. He allowed just a single earned run, on a ninth-inning home run, and three hits, while fanning three and walking none.
Pacific starter Elijah Birdsong took the loss, falling to 1-1. Thomas Gavelo and James Arakawa each drove in two runs for the Tigers.
HOW IT HAPPENED...
T3 | Bakersfield scored four times on long home runs by James Bell and AJ Miller in the top of the third inning. Bell cleared the bases with a three-run bomb to left-center field to put CSUB on the board, before Miller followed two batters later with a shot over the elevated fence in left.
T4 | Michael Pollard collected the first hit of his CSUB career when he jumped on the first pitch he saw and lined an RBI single to center, scoring Aaron Perez.
T5 | Nick Salas slapped a single to left field to score Andrew Allanson. Allanson reached on a throwing error to open the frame.
B5 | Pacific pushed three unearned runs across in the bottom of the fifth after a pair of Caggianelli errors and a hit by pitch led to the first run and set the table for James Arakawa's two-run double.
T7 | With two outs and the bases loaded, Aaron Casillas rebounded from a quick 0-2 count to pull a double down the line in left and plate a pair, pushing CSUB's lead to 8-3.
B9 | Thomas Gavelo belted his fourth home run of the year in the ninth, scoring a pair and setting the final margin of CSUB's victory at 8-5.
NOTABLE...
* CSUB hit multiple home runs in a single game for the first time since belting three against Cal Poly on May 9, 2021. Evan Berkey, Jacen Roberson and Cody Holtz each homered in a 6-4 win, as Bakersfield finished off a four-game sweep of the Mustangs at Hardt Field.
* Pollard entered the game 0-for-6 and yet to reach base this season, before reaching in his first three plate appearances. He grabbed his first career hit with an RBI single to center in the fourth.
* Aaron Casillas connected for his sixth double of the season in the top of the seventh. After doubling just six times in his first 55 career games, Casillas has already doubled six times in 12 outings this season.
* Miller and Bell are tied for the team lead with two home runs apiece.
* CSUB defeated Pacific for the third-straight meeting and now holds a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools.
* The Roadrunners were playing the first contest of a six-game road trip, after opening the season with 12-consecutive games at Hardt Field in Bakersfield.
ON DECK...
The same two teams square off again on Saturday afternoon at Klein Family Field in Stockton, Calif., with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Adrian Santa Cruz will make his third start of the season for CSUB, while Hunter Hayes takes the ball for the Tigers.
